'Simpsons' Actor Hank Azaria Feels He Needs Apologize to Every Indian for Apu

[Apollo Kid]

Hari Kondobolu had documentary about it and addressed a few years prior to it.

 

[YakSpiller]

"Marge, that little guy hasn't done anything yet. He gonna do something and you know it's gonna be good. "

Classic!

My favorite scene from Apu was him getting mad at Marge for bringing banana bread when he had like 8 kids running wild.

 

[iseetrolledpeople]

At this fake woke down for the people soft generation.

Thank God I only "encounter" them online.

 

[Grifter]

Classic!

My favorite scene from Apu was him getting mad at Marge for bringing banana bread when he had like 8 kids running wild.

 

[jackswstd]

So they gon edit out Apu from every episode now

 

[Mike the Executioner]

All 100% facts here. Not to mention, is it fukked up to just admit that there are people that look and sound like Apu?

My thing is this. Even though I don't think they'd even let Apu be a character, if they did, they wouldn't give the role to a white guy. The Simpson's is over 3 decades old, though. That's how things were back then. It don't like the trend of everyone apologzing for every single thing multiple decades in the past, just because it's seen as culturally insensitive now.

And like you said. Apu was a fleshed out character. He had many sides, and he wasn't just a stereotype. He was partially a stereotype, but that was a beautiful thing about The Simpson's. They didn't single out and pick on anyone in particular. They made fun of everyone.

Jamie Foxx also made a great point after he got criticzed for making fun of Caitlyn Jenner. He said something along the lines of, "Look, me making fun of you is a sign that you're accepted. I'm not gonna crack jokes to someone I truly dislike, or don't want around. I'll just ignore them and have nothing to do with them. No one I like is above me making fun of them, so me cracking jokes at Caitlyn just means that I think she's really just no different than the rest of us." I thought that was a good way to frame it.

EDIT: I know there are a lot of damaging stereotypes out there, but god damn. I think everyone needs to lighten the fukk up a little bit. I'm on a soap box, but last thing. I did a lot of world travel in 2017, and one of the collest things was seeing how so many people in other countries don't themselves so damn seriously all the time. Basically everywhere I went, people were way more likely to have a laugh at their own expense.

I agree with pretty much everything you said, but another reason the Apu controversy took off like it did is because The Simpsons is still airing new episodes, and it became a cultural phenomenon. It started in 1989 and it hasn't left television since then. No breaks in between, no cancellations, no revivals. Production never shut down for anything, not for the movie or for COVID. It's been running uninterrupted for more than thirty years.

I'm saying this because The Simpsons is a product of its time, and it never should have been allowed to last this long. When the show was good, it was a reflection of what society was like at the time. Its influences came from things from the 50s and 60s and 70s. The characters were based off of those influences, or meant to reflect the state of pop culture at the time the show was airing. Bumblebee Man is pretty much a racist stereotype in 2021, but there was a certain context to why his character was created. It made sense to have him at that time, because people who were around would get it. Not now.

The problem is, The Simpsons kept going even though the quality declined and it moved away further and further from its influences. The Simpsons was a reflection of 90s culture. It's not a reflection of 2000s and 2010s culture, but because it kept going, it had to adjust to the times. But it wasn't able to. The show stopped evolving and innovating after 2000 or so. There were other adult cartoons that took over and reflected the current culture better than The Simpsons ever could, because they were meant to.

If the show ended in its prime, or maybe once it fell off, Apu wouldn't be such a big deal. But because it never ended, it's stuck in a culture that it doesn't understand or care to understand, and the people behind the show keep thinking they can do the same things they've done for the past thirty years when it doesn't work like that anymore.

What's worse is that it's obvious the show wanted to keep Apu, but it was worried about any potential backlash. Matt Groening said something along the lines of him not giving a fukk about the whole thing. Other than Hank Azaria, it doesn't seem like anybody on the staff wanted to get rid of him. There was a whole episode dedicated to telling the audience that whether or not they do something is irrelevant, leave them alone and stop complaining.

And they knew they fukked up, which is why when Leaving Neverland came out, they thought getting rid of "Stark Raving Dad" would make people look at them like . Like they were at the forefront of a social movement this time. And guess what? Everybody saw through it and knew they were full of shyt. And it made them look worse because they worked with Michael Jackson multiple times, and didn't say anything about the allegations other than joking about him scaring kids in one episode. The staff was when he died, but then they turn around and pull that nonsense?

I know this Apu situation is very tricky, and it's not all black and white. But we have to look at why this is a situation to begin with. Nobody told The Simpsons to go on for 700+ episodes, but they did. And they have to draw a line in the sand on what they want to do in our current society.

 

[Deltron]

So they gon edit out Apu from every episode now

No probably put a disclaimer in the front about outdated ideals

And if he is brought back, he'll be voiced by an Indian actor

 

[Ididit]

How do you do a job for 30 years and one fine day realise that some people might find your overly exaggerated and unflattering take on Indian people offensive? Was he tone deaf and genuinely not realise what his character sounded like or was he fine with it till people started expressing their displeasure ? Seems a bit funny style.
If he is really sorry he better donate all the cake he's been eating off the Simpsons for the last 30 years.

 

[Deltron]

obviously the latter, and he / Al Jean etc. are just saving face

 

[Jax]

I can already see the PTSD some indian kids have from being bullied and called Apu. tough shyt kids, black people been mocked for decades in tv and movies, from simp limo drivers to bytch ass janitors in Star Wars.

 

[DaddyFresh]

I can already see the PTSD some indian kids have from being bullied and called Apu. tough shyt kids, black people been mocked for decades in tv and movies, from simp limo drivers to bytch ass janitors in Star Wars.

Is this dap fishing or you serious? So you want changes for the way blacks are treated but if another race goes thru similar struggles it’s oh well? Y’all are really giving validity to the stupid Shea butter Twitter logic that black men just want to be in power not see actual change and would act no different then white men if they had the same power

 

[Dad]

fukk them Indians

 

[Originalman]

All 100% facts here. Not to mention, is it fukked up to just admit that there are people that look and sound like Apu?

My thing is this. Even though I don't think they'd even let Apu be a character, if they did, they wouldn't give the role to a white guy. The Simpson's is over 3 decades old, though. That's how things were back then. It don't like the trend of everyone apologzing for every single thing multiple decades in the past, just because it's seen as culturally insensitive now.

And like you said. Apu was a fleshed out character. He had many sides, and he wasn't just a stereotype. He was partially a stereotype, but that was a beautiful thing about The Simpson's. They didn't single out and pick on anyone in particular. They made fun of everyone.

Jamie Foxx also made a great point after he got criticzed for making fun of Caitlyn Jenner. He said something along the lines of, "Look, me making fun of you is a sign that you're accepted. I'm not gonna crack jokes to someone I truly dislike, or don't want around. I'll just ignore them and have nothing to do with them. No one I like is above me making fun of them, so me cracking jokes at Caitlyn just means that I think she's really just no different than the rest of us." I thought that was a good way to frame it.

EDIT: I know there are a lot of damaging stereotypes out there, but god damn. I think everyone needs to lighten the fukk up a little bit. I'm on a soap box, but last thing. I did a lot of world travel in 2017, and one of the collest things was seeing how so many people in other countries don't themselves so damn seriously all the time. Basically everywhere I went, people were way more likely to have a laugh at their own expense.

Here is my issue. Stereotypes and sexism is only considered bad in comedy.

You can have all the sexism, racism and stereotypes in drama shows and folks sit there like.. this is great fukking tv...



shyt is beyond stupid...

 

[Artificial Intelligence]

.......................

 

[Jax]

Is this dap fishing or you serious? So you want changes for the way blacks are treated but if another race goes thru similar struggles it’s oh well? Y’all are really giving validity to the stupid Shea butter Twitter logic that black men just want to be in power not see actual change and would act no different then white men if they had the same power

of course I'm not serious. chill